Mets All-Star, Batting Champion Expected to Be Ready for Opening Day

Jeff McNeil is expected to play in the season opener despite not playing in exhibition games yet.

The New York Mets will have one of their key contributors ready by March 28.

Second baseman Jeff McNeil, who has dealt with bicep soreness and hasn't seen spring training action yet, is expected to play on Opening Day. Beat writer Mike Puma was the first to report, doing so in his column on the New York Post on Wednesday.

Our column from Port St. Lucie: Francisco Lindor shares some of the things he’s liked about the Mets this spring as we prepare to enter the home stretch. https://t.co/ddhujoZV84

— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) March 13, 2024

The day before, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gave an encouraging update on the 31-year-old after a live batting practice session.

"Another good day today," Mendoza said. "[He] caught BP and swung the bat. He's doing well, progressing well."

This is great news for the Mets, as McNeil hasn't had any issues since being shut down on March 3. Even when he was initially shut down, the Mets did not send him to get an MRI as they believed it was nothing serious.

McNeil is hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2023 campaign, in which he batted .270 with a slugging percentage under .400, a far cry from his 2022 performance when he led the majors with a .326 batting average. 

One of the cornerstones of the current Mets core, McNeil is entering the second year of a four-year, $50 million contract extension that he signed prior to the 2023 season. He is the team's primary contact hitter despite his struggles last year, and has established himself as a doubles machine by accruing at least 11 two-baggers in all six of his major league seasons. McNeil also has fantastic positional versatility; although he has primarily played second base in recent years, he is more than capable of playing the outfield, where he made 68 appearances last season.

The Mets' primary goal this year is to return to the postseason; with McNeil ready to play on Opening Day, the team should like their chances if the "Flying Squirrel" can produce at the level he did in 2019 and 2022.